


The Thrill of the Hunt

by TelepathJeneral



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Homestuck Rarepair Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-04-22
Packaged: 2018-01-20 09:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1504922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TelepathJeneral/pseuds/TelepathJeneral





	The Thrill of the Hunt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dojo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dojo/gifts).



With a sudden gust of wind, fog was swept from the darkened  Alternia  sky, and  Eridan  grit his teeth in frustration as his hiding place was revealed. Though Ahab’s Crosshairs sat primed and ready, his prey was nowhere in sight, and he leaned close to whisper to his  lusus  before hunching over the saddle. Worn with use and supple under his grip, the saddle held him close to the large seahorse, and  Eridan  beckoned it downwards as he watched the skies.

Technically, he had the advantage here. His opponent, after all, didn’t have a  lusus , and even if she enlisted help, the sea was his domain. She might have been a  seadweller , but the  Peixes  girl didn’t know the coastline like he did. 

A lowing cry interrupted his thoughts, and  Eridan  spurred the seahorse upwards as he began to search through the fog. Not many  lusii  were large enough to warrant a proper hunt, which is what made this one so special. Large wings disturbed the fog enough for  Eridan  to get a good track on the target, and he wove back and forth through the mist to avoid revealing his location. It was all a bit cloak-and-dagger, these trips, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. All this posturing was part of the game.

The sky erupted in a swirl of motion as the  lusus  finally showed itself, another screeching cry indicating an airborne roc-like creature.  Eridan  reared back as his  lusus  did, hefting Ahab’s Crosshairs onto his shoulder to try and get a beam on the creature, but winced as his  lusus  suddenly lurched to one side. A small blur of motion made  Eridan  groan in anger, and he angled his  lusus  to the side in order to get a good shot at the bird. Though a glancing blow, the creamy color of blue blood alerted him to the social status of the  lusus , and he prodded his own  lusus  forward in contest. 

“ Goddamn sea-loving hag-queen- “  Eridan  wheeled around to try and corner the beast, aiming for the chest before closing his eyes against the recoil. His  lusus  squirmed beneath him, complaining of the noise, and  Eridan  watched the roc plunge before urging his  lusus  after it. The carcass hit the ground with a heavy thud, and  Eridan  dismounted onto a n  outcropping of rock before letting his  lusus  dive into the ocean. He stepped forward cautiou sly, studying the unmoving body, and jumped back as a clump of feathers fell to the ground. Cursing his own skittishness,  Eridan  stomped forward, lunging back for real as a golden trident appeared from the chest of the beast. Leaping forward with a triumphant war cry,  Meenah Peixes  claimed her trident, grinning as  Eridan  stepped back.

“Mine, bottom-feeder!  You lost again!”  Meenah  was forced to wiggle the trident slightly to free the weapon, stepping over the  lusus’s  wing to face  Eridan . Her heels, coupled with her few sweeps of age, let her tower over the other  seadweller  to flash her  earfins  in an impressive display of dominance. “What’s that, eight to three?  You’re not  doin ’ well,  toothbeast  bait.”

“Hey, I brought down the rock troll-“

“Only a rust blood, at that.”

“And the  slitherbeast !”

“A mediocre emerald!  This thing’s a  tealblood , through and through, and that’s not even counting the  stingbeast  we found last week.”

“ Stingbeasts  could be anything, you know-“

“But this one was pushing cerulean.”  Meenah  shook a finger in  Eridan’s  face,  keeping her trident in hand as she strode to the shoreline. “ Feelin ’ the heat yet, blubber boy?”

“If you would just give me a  glubbin ’ chance- “  Eridan  moved to follow her, unfortunately weapons-less as he clenched both fists. “You don’t get it, you never do,  it’s  not about the size of the kill!”

“Oh, but it is. Then again, I did go for  you , so you should be grateful that size doesn’t always matter.” Turning in a flash,  Meenah  hooked one finger into  Eridan’s  cape’s chain, pulling him close before grinning. The uncomfortable trepidation curling in  Eridan’s  stomach hardened into full-out hateful terror, but he held his ground as the older girl leaned close. 

“So,  whaddya  think about the chase?  Worth the disappointment at the end?”

“Get off, you seaweed eater-“

“Aww, little  toothbeast  bait getting uncomfortable?”

“You don’t even go for the good part.”  Eridan  grumbled momentarily, countering  Meenah’s  grasp  by reaching for her hips. He managed to pull her off balance just enough to have her fall forward, and reached up to claim her lips in a quick kiss before letting her deepen the embrace. Despite the pleased curve of her smile,  Meenah  allowed  Eridan  a few moments of silence, and finally pulled away to rest her hands on his shoulders.

“Good enough for  ya ?”

“Like hell- “  Eridan  shoved her away, but didn’t resist as she moved to rest one arm over his shoulders, both of them watching the waves crash against the rocks.  “Next week, again?”

“’F course.  And I’ll beat you again.”  Meenah  grinned, releasing the smaller troll to let him call his  lusus , and shook her head as he slowly but surely took off in the direction of his hive. “ Betcha  won’t even notice me  hangin ’ onto your silly seahorse, next time.”


End file.
